Ohio Supreme Court won't review Freshwater decision

The court previously ruled the Mount Vernon district had grounds to fire John Freshwater in 2011 for insubordination for keeping religious books and a poster of a praying president.

The Associated Press

The Ohio Supreme Court won't reconsider its decision upholding the dismissal of a public school science instructor who refused to remove religious materials from his classroom.

The court denied John Freshwater's request for reconsideration in a split decision Wednesday. The court previously ruled the Mount Vernon district had grounds to fire Freshwater in 2011 for insubordination for keeping religious books and a poster of a praying president.

Freshwater's attorneys argued the court wrongly interpreted his attempts to deal with what they called vague requests from administrators with flat-out insubordination.

Three justices dissented Wednesday, saying the case could be a basis for districts to fire teachers for insignificant reasons. Their opinion says evidence against Freshwater wasn't sufficient to establish insubordination.